A Whisper and A Clamour
by Peppermint Kiss
Summary: A collection of angsty Byakuya and Rukia prompts, written for the 30 tears challenge. Will these two listen to the heart's calling, or turn their backs on it? Who will betray who? Is all that seems really all there is to be found? Ch 4 posted!
1. Caged Butterfly

**Caged Butterfly**

A/N: Written for the 30tears community on Livejournal. Beta-ed by Ailey-chan!

* * *

**Prompt 26** – _why do we keep doing this?_

The room is silent.

There's no need for words.

Cloth rustles, and the wind gently spirals into the room from an open window.

There is a barely audible moan in the darker confines of the room. A cry follows, then a whisper, then a scream.

Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howls.

The room is dim.

There's no need for light. Yet still, the moonlight stubbornly streams in from the open window, casting shadows onto the pale, unadorned wall stretching the perimeter of the room.

Heavy gasps punctuate the silence. The heat in the room builds, even though it is a cool summer night. Skin slides against skin, eliciting heated sensations. Murmurs float in the air, breaths grow more labored, and then—

A silent scream hangs suspended in the air, the room shakes just the tiniest bit, and the silhouettes portrayed on the wall pause, for the tiniest fraction of a moment before they fall, together, in symmetry.

A woman collapses back onto the bed, her hair disarrayed, her cheeks flushed pink, and her violet eyes glowing in the dim light of the moon.

The man next to her thinks that she has never looked more beautiful.

His name floats from her lips, a sound that soon dissipates into the heavy, dark air.

He turns to face her, his eyes hooded yet still inquisitive, glinting in the dim light. He wraps his arms around her smaller body, tugging her closer to his chest.

She gives a soft squeak of surprise, but he just draws her closer, embraces her tighter.

He feels her heart beat wildly, a caged butterfly pounding its wings against the bars of the cage.

"We...can't keep doing this," she says, her voice still slightly breathless, her lips still looking thoroughly kissed, and sweat still gleaming on her brow. Her eyes are confused, questioning _why do we keep doing this_? But beneath that layer, in the dark depths underlying the bright purple, she silently says _don't stop, please, never stop_.

He laughs deep in his throat, and rests his chin on the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair, feeling her small puffs of air against his collarbone.

"Why?" he asks, as if it's the simplest thing in the world.

He thinks it _is_ the simplest thing in the world.

She begs to differ.

She struggles feebly to free herself from his grasp, but she soon surrenders.

She always surrenders.

He smiles at this, letting long, calloused fingers run through her already mussed-up hair, dipping down to stroke her neck and her ear.

"Why?" he repeats, his voice huskier, the hot air from his mouth just barely brushing the delicate shell of her ear.

"Because...because—"

She's cut off by a moan as he shifts position and crashes his lips down onto hers.

He isn't usually this undignified, but with her, he has to make some exceptions.

"Because what?" he prods, enjoying watching her squirm.

They've done this every night, and she still hasn't been able to come up with a reason.

* * *

The next morning, she awakes, her body pleasantly tingling yet still rather sore, to find the other side of the bed cold.

But when she buries her face back into the pillow, she catches a distinct scent of cherry blossoms, and she smiles.

* * *

She sees him at the dining table as she goes down the stairs for breakfast. He's sitting there, drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

Just like every morning.

Every morning she has to wake up and see him again.

She settles down with a cup to steaming hot tea, directly across from him. Their eyes meet, but neither says a word.

There's no need for words.

* * *

A knock sounds on the door, and a few moments later Renji bounces in, as energetic and as enthusiastic as ever. Inwardly, she sighs.

On the outside, she remains impassive.

"Ruuuuuukia!" Renji whines, oblivious to the other man at the table. "Are you ready to go yet? I want to show you this really cool place that I stumbled across the other day, it isn't far from here, and—"

He's cut off when Rukia smiles up at him, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. Renji, however, doesn't notice.

"Almost," she says. "Just let me finish this tea."

Renji nods happily, looking around the room. Only now does he see the other presence.

"Taichou," Renji acknowledges respectfully, standing a little straighter.

Kuchiki Byakuya coolly regards Renji from over his newspaper before giving a small nod in return. "Renji."

Rukia sets down her cup and stands from the table. "Let's go, Renji." Renji bounds out of the room, not stopping to check back and see if Rukia is following.

Rukia sighs resignedly, and starts to follow her red-haired friend. But, fingers snag her own, and she stares at the Kuchiki head.

They stay there for a few moments, simply staring at each other, each trying to see through the defenses the other has put up.

At last, his fingers glide through hers, and Rukia silently leaves.

By now, she's figured out that there's _never_ a need for words.

So she leaves for another day of lies, deception, and fake smiles.

But every day she tells herself that she only puts up with it all because at night, when the sun finally sets, when the darkness of the night shrouds everything in shadow— it's all worth it.

At night, he sets the butterfly in her heart free.

-_fin_-

A/N: Hope everybody enjoyed :) Next chapter with the next prompt coming soon. And yes, I'm planning to change the title...the current one was kind of an on-the-whim thing. Remember, reviews are appreciated!!


	2. The Perfect Sky

**The Perfect Sky**

_Prompt 14 - "Perfect Blue"_

Very long chapter, and some OOC Byakuya. Enjoy :3

* * *

To Kuchiki Byakuya, the sky had always held a special meaning. 

For as long as the Kuchiki head could remember, he recalled events, meetings—all of his memories—through the color of the sky, the whisper of the wind, and the shape of the clouds.

Ever since he could speak, he adored sitting in his mother's lap during a private moment, at home and out of the eye of public scrutiny. One day, Byakuya asked his mother, "What's your idea of the perfect sky?"

He had just been curious, as all small children were. His mother laughed and hugged him closer, so close that Byakuya could smell the sweet scent of her perfume and the laughter that bubbled up from inside of her body. She then whispered, as if it was a big secret: "My idea of a perfect sky would be a perfect blue sky."

From that moment forward, Byakuya had been determined to find that perfect blue sky.

* * *

The day the young Byakuya met Shihouin Yoruichi, it was on one of the lovelier days of winter, the sky an icy pale blue, with big, puffy grey clouds. Even though the sun still smiled weakly upon the frozen ground, the day still seemed so devoid of life. 

_He had been sitting under a tree in the gardens, observing another carriage come up the road to the Kuchiki estate. It probably contained another pompous noble family, no doubt to congratulate his father on his promotion to captain._

_Byakuya heard the frivolous laughter of the noble ladies from inside, but he wasn't tempted to go and join the gathering. There weren't any children his age in noble families around Seireitei, anyways._

_The light of the day suddenly disappeared, and Byakuya looked up just in time to see the sun retreat behind a cloud._

_Darkness._

_He continued to stare dully into space, before his thoughts were interrupted by a dark skinned girl that waved to him from atop the hill with a large smile. She then proceeded to shunpo to his side, startling Byakuya._

_"I'm Shihouin Yoruichi," she announced upon her arrival. "And you look like Kuchiki Byakuya." She peered into his face, her dark eyes round. "Since when did you get so prissy?"_

_Insulted, Byakuya leapt up and opened his mouth to retort, but before he could, Yoruichi giggled and shunpoed away, sticking her tongue out at him from a branch of a tree._

_"Well, what are you waiting for, you big stuck up prissy?" Yoruichi mocked._

_His dignity slowly being stripped away, Byakuya did the only thing he could do: He disappeared in a cloud of shunpo and started chasing after Yoruichi._

_The war was on._

_Glancing up at the sky, Byakuya saw the sun peek out from behind the cloud and cast a warm glow of light onto the two children wildly shunpo-ing around the garden._

_

* * *

_

Today, Byakuya noted, was a grey, drizzly day, roiling with a mass of clouds and icy rain.

Pushing his chair back from the breakfast table and abandoning his cup of tea, Byakuya picked up Senbonzakura and nodded to Rukia.

"Come. We have a mission to complete."

* * *

Being the taichou of a division was a very arduous task, but also a highly esteemed one. 

Anybody who met Byakuya always told him that he was perfect for the job in all of its aspects.

What nobody knew was that once upon a time, the position of taichou was the least thing Kuchiki Byakuya wanted to be.

_It was dinner at the Kuchiki estate, a quiet affair, only marred by the soft thuds of setting teacups down on the table and the clacking of chopsticks._

_His father was conferring over something with his mother while Byakuya picked at his food. It appeared that the cook had forgotten to make something spicy today._

_Subtly listening to his parents' conversation, Byakuya picked up "zanpakuto", "Byakuya", and "join the Gotei 13"._

_"No!" he shouted suddenly, startling his parents. "I _**_won't_**_ go to the Gotei 13!"_

_"Byakuya, listen..." his mother started._

_"No!" he said stubbornly._

_"All Kuchikis have fought in the Gotei 13! What are you going to be, huh, if you're not a shinigami?" his father roared thunderously._

_"I'll—I'll be a writer!" Byakuya shot back. He really did love writing and creating fantasy worlds of his own, but it was only when the words left his mouth when Byakuya realized how silly they sounded._

_His father roared in laughter, mocking Byakuya at the same time. Byakuya sat there, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment._

_"Do you hear him, he wants to be a writer!" His father choked out between laughs. Turning his attention back to Byakuya, he glared at his son. "Do you realize what this will mean for the Kuchiki name if the next head of the family is a _writer_? All of the heads of the family have been captains of a division in the Gotei 13, a highly esteemed and honorable position that only the best of all shinigami can get! And this tradition will NOT change because of your desire to be _a writer_!"_

_"Mother..." Byakuya tried._

_His mother stared back at him with soft eyes, before looking away. "Do it for the family, Byakuya."_

_Byakuya hung his head in defeat. He was never able to win._

* * *

Two weeks later, Byakuya first met Senbonzakura. 

_"This is to be your zanpakuto, your most precious friend and weapon," his father explained. "You will do all of your training with your zanpakuto, and learn many new things. Now speak to your zanpakuto, and learn its name, to start off with."_

_Byakuya had no idea how to do this, but he tried, falling into the echoing confines of his mind. "Hello?" he called out. "I'm—I'm Kuchiki Byakuya."_

_"A pleasure to meet you," a distinctly female voice responded, the sound fading and dissipating into the darkness._

_"Who are you?" Byakuya cried out._

_A beautiful female burst through the darkness in a shower of cherry blossoms, regarding Byakuya with wickedly dancing green eyes._

_"I am your zanpakuto. I am..._

_Senbonzakura!" _

_At that moment, a brilliant pink light shot into the air, rustling the sakura trees under which Byakuya stood. Byakuya only remembered this day because of the sparkling pink light that contrasted with the clear blue sky._

_As grudgingly as Byakuya admitted it, his father was true. Senbonzakura quickly became his best friend and Byakuya told her _everything_, including how he had never wanted to join the Gotei 13 or get a zanpakuto in the first place. Senbonzakura listened with a sympathetic ear, and Byakuya found that she had a talent for giving good advice, no matter how mischievous she seemed at first._

_Three weeks later, Byakuya had mastered his shikai, triggered by the deadly command "chire"._

_Of course, his father had been a little disgruntled when he saw that his son's (and the next head of the family's) shikai was pink, but once Byakuya cut a tree to shreds with Senbonzakura, his father finally looked down at him with respect in his eyes._

_Nothing pleased Byakuya more, or helped him settle his mind, than watching Senbonzakura's petals twirl in the air, whether against the clearest sky in the world or against an angry grey sky, and hearing her laugh resonate in the air._

* * *

Nobody had ever once said that Byakuya could be a writer, or god knows something else other than the dull, powerful, oh-so-mighty taichou of the sixth division. 

Nobody, that is, except for one person.

_"Nii...sama..." Rukia said, her eyes already drooping in sleep, her small body burning hot beneath the pile of blankets._

_"Yes?" Byakuya asked, right before he shut the door to Rukia's room._

_"Tell me...a story," she requested._

_"Rukia, you're burning up with fever...you should get your rest," Byakuya pointed out._

_"No…no, tell me a story," she protested, blinking open her eyes that were clouded over with fever, yet still shone with her usual spunk. _

_"I…all right," Byakuya conceded, stepping back into the room and closing the door behind him._

_"So, which story would you like?" Byakuya asked, mentally ridiculing himself inside for doing this. If any shinigami in all of Seireitei had been there to witness the 28__th__ Head of the House of Kuchiki demoted to some storyteller to a child…well, it might be cliché, but Byakuya was sure that he would never live it up._

_"I don't know," Rukia responded, her voice growing heavier and calmer. "Anything…"_

_So, taking a deep breath and steely pushing all other reason and excuses his traitorous mind kept pummeling at him, Byakuya sat down and proceeded to tell Rukia a story._

_He told a glorious story of how a boy was questing to find his one true love, his princess. He was nothing, not even a prince. He was only a mere pauper in his village. The boy's parents wanted him to be something powerful, like a samurai, but the boy refused, and one day, he ran away, in quest of his princess. But the boy's parents found him soon after, and they forced him to become a samurai. The boy soon became one of the best samurai out of them all, but still, he dreamt of rescuing his princess, his true love._

_It was at this point when Byakuya realized that Rukia had fallen asleep, her deep breaths steadying out to an even pattern. Tentatively feeling her forehead, Byakuya realized that her fever had gone._

_Standing in a rustle of shihakusho, Byakuya turned to go for the second time. But Rukia's quiet voice, half-within the throes of sleep, called out to him._

_"Nii-sama…thank you for the story. You…should have been a writer."_

_Byakuya paused, momentarily frozen, his hand on the doorknob, standing in the hallway._

_This was the first time anybody had said something of this kind to him—and it was Rukia, who had stripped down the overbearing, mighty taichou to what his heart really yearned for._

_Byakuya smiled, the traces of the curves of his mouth lingering as his fingers fell from the doorknob, the door shutting with an audible __click_

_"You're right…I should have."_

* * *

Byakuya mentally sighed in despair upon seeing the party that awaited them at the gates of Seireitei. Rukia was struggling to keep up with Byakuya's swift stride, but she still trotted along determinedly behind him, like a puppy that followed its master everywhere. 

Kurosaki Ichigo, Abarai Renji, Ishida Uryuu, Toushiro Hitsugaya, Matsumoto Rangiku, and Hinamori Momo awaited them at the gate. Renji visibly waved to Byakuya with an obnoxiously loud "TAICHOUUUU!" reverberating in the air.

Byakuya gave a stiff nod to Renji, glaring at him to _calm down_. Rukia stood next to Ichigo, as Byakuya assessed the party that was assigned the mission to take down a party of Menos Grandes spotted just a day before, in the wooded area some distance away from Seireitei.

"Really, Menos Grandes?" Ichigo's loud voice, one that rivaled Renji's, pierced Byakuya's eardrums, and he glared at the orange-haired shinigami. Byakuya…had a feeling he would be doing a lot of glaring today, most probably at Renji and Ichigo.

"Did nobody fill you in, loser?" Renji taunted back.

"Doesn't matter, Menos Grandes are easy to beat," Ichigo asserted confidently, pulling his arms back behind his head.

"Yeah, says the one who first tried to kill a Menos Grandes with the logic of 'If you chop it down, then you should be able to kill it'," muttered a certain dark haired Quincy.

Ichigo immediately turned on the Quincy. "Hey, that was one of my worse moments!" he yelled.

Uryuu responded with some other insult, and another banter started.

"Enough!" Byakuya commanded, his reiatsu flickering in the small area around them, silencing most of the squabble.

"We head for the woods out of Seireitei, approximately northeast of here. Once we reach the edge of the forest, we split up. The majority of the group will be under my command, as stated by Yamamoto-genryuusai. Hitsugaya-taichou will take Hinamori-fukutaichou and Matsumoto-fukutaichou around the back for our reinforcements. We," Byakuya waved a hand over Ichigo, Uryuu, Rukia, and Renji, "will be the main attack."

Byakuya appraised the group. "Understood?"

Everybody nodded.

"Good. Let's go."

* * *

The rain slapped against their faces, soaking shihakushos and bare skin alike. Rukia's hair was matted to her face, but she still forged ahead, keeping pace with Ichigo and Renji. 

At the lead, Byakuya murmured to Senbonzakura while at the same time looking for any signs of the Menos Grandes _and_ keeping an eye on the bickering group behind him, so they wouldn't fall prey to some stupid trap out here in the woods.

Suddenly, Byakuya stopped, feeling the whisper of an evil reiatsu tug at his own, enticing him, drawing him in.

"Stop." He commanded, his eyes level but calculating, unsheathing Senbonzakura.

"Everybody, get ready to attack."

The first Menos Grandes cracked the sky into a dark, swirling hole, the bleak darkness of Hueco Mundo still darker than the clouds that obscured any view or hope of sunlight.

The huge hollow rushed at Byakuya with a shattering cry, as dozens more streamed out of Hueco Mundo behind it.

As Byakuya uttered "chire", he realized something as Rukia released Sode no Shirayuki's shikai, Ichigo and Renji brandished Zangetsu and Zabimaru, and Ishida adjusted his glasses before preparing his Quincy bow and fitting an arrow to the string.

He realized, ominously, that as the Menos Grandes kept on streaming out, even with backup in the form of Hitsugaya-taichou, there were too many.

* * *

_Several hours later…_

Many Menos Grandes had been killed with keening wails that spiraled up into the air and disappeared, but still, several remained—the strongest of them all. The entire group, even the back up reinforcements, sported some sort of injury, but they still battled on.

Byakuya, Ichigo, Renji, and Hitsugaya had released their bankais quite some time ago, but Byakuya could sense reiatsus running low, for the whole group.

Another wail echoed in the sky, as rain continued to pour, relentlessly down on them.

Rukia whipped around from watching another Menos Grandes fall and disappear, her face shining in triumph.

"Nii-sama, did you see that?"

Byakuya nodded curtly, distracted by watching Ichigo and Renji combine forces against another Menos Grande that had just descended. Senbonzakura hung at his side, and it was only when his zanpakuto alerted him with a cry did he see the Menos Grande swoop down behind Rukia.

"RUKIA!"

She valiantly tried to swing Sode no Shirayuki at the Menos Grande, but she missed, as the Menos Grande cackled and scored a long, gashing cut down her side.

* * *

First, he saw her eyes widen in shock, and then her body stiffened. 

Sode no Shirayuki clattered to the ground.

She started to fall, started to fall as if it was in a dream. Somewhere, in mid-air, a spray of crimson splattered against the grey backdrop of the sky.

Rukia hit the ground with a dull _thump_, her body frozen in that moment of impact, her mouth still slightly open in surprise.

Byakuya felt his body fill with anger, channeling all of his reiatsu into Senbonzakura as he rushed at the Menos Grande from behind, slashing it down with just one cut.

"That was for Rukia," he stated expressionlessly as the Menos Grande screamed in defeat and disappeared from sight.

As Byakuya sagged to his knees and tried his best to attend to Rukia, he didn't notice that the rain had stopped and the clouds had started to break apart.

* * *

Rukia had walked in on him, one day, in the gardens. Byakuya had gone outside of his stuffy office and taken some paperwork along with him to a stone bench near the sakura trees. 

_He had had every intention of completing the paperwork, but as unimaginable as it was, Kuchiki Byakuya got distracted by the clouds and the gentle sway of blossom-laden branches in the breeze._

_It was then, when Byakuya was thinking about fetching Senbonzakura (who was resting in his office) and letting her see this sight. She would have been pleased at the sight. But, that was when Rukia, awed at the sakura, had stumbled in on him._

_Not literally, of course. But Byakuya looked up at her with questioning eyes and she blushed, flustered, and tried to regain her composure, fumbling for words._

"_Gomen, gomen, nii-sama, I didn't know you were here, and I shouldn't be out here, I know, I know—"_

_Byakuya arched an eyebrow as he set aside his paperwork (or at least, his premise of doing paperwork) and interestingly watched her continue to babble on nonsense._

"_Rukia."_

_Rukia immediately shut up, staring at Byakuya with terrified eyes. Byakuya never figured it out, why some people were so terrified of him._

"_It's fine that you walked in on me. I wasn't doing much else, anyways."_

_Rukia gnawed on her bottom lip, giving a shy nod._

"_Nii-sama…do you mind if I sit next to you for a while? It's just—it's such a beautiful day."_

"_Go ahead."_

_Rukia murmured a quick "arigato" before seating herself next to Byakuya on the bench as Byakuya subtly shifted some paperwork so she would have more room. Rukia stared at the sky, her face filling up with carefree joy._

_Warily, Byakuya watched Rukia out of the corner of his eye as he continued to write on his paper._

"_Rukia…" the words floated out of his lips before he realized just exactly what he was saying, "what is your idea of the perfect sky?"_

_Rukia cocked her head and looked at Byakuya before turning her eyes back to the sky and a few gently floating cherry blossoms. _

"_Well…it would have to be the perfect blue sky, wouldn't it?"_

_Byakuya could only stare at her in shock for a few moments, before he bowed his head._

I should have known.

"_I agree," he said softly. "I've been trying to find the perfect blue sky for years."_

_It was Rukia's turn to look at Byakuya in shock, before her features softened and a small hand impulsively rested on his own. _

"_Then, I suppose I'll have to help you."_

* * *

"Rukia!" Byakuya shouted again. He felt his dignity and his control gradually slipping away from him, as if in a sieve. 

"Byakuya…nii-sama…" Rukia said weakly, wearily opening dull violet eyes.

What was this feeling of pain, of indescribable loss and agony that stabbed through Byakuya's heart of ice? This…shooting pain, when Byakuya saw the sparkle that had resided in her eyes for so long was now gone.

Senbonzakura cried in sorrow, an echoing sound ringing in the dark, irrational abyss of Byakuya's mind as he tried to comprehend that Rukia – and as much as it pained the Kuchiki head to admit it, _his_ Rukia – was dying. Every trickle of blood pooling on to the churned dirt and grass next to her prone body, every second ticking by, every breath she took—she was dying.

She was leaving him, just like Hisana…and what hurt Byakuya the most, more than any zanpakuto could, was the fact that he couldn't do anything about it.

"Arigato…for everything…I'm sorry that I wasn't able…to do much in return for you."

Byakuya felt raw anguish boiling up inside of him, welling up in his throat and weighing down in his chest. "Don't…" he started.

He took a deep breath to try and recompose himself. "Don't…say arigato. I should…be saying that to you, Rukia."

Even thorough her labored breaths and the evident pain she was in, confusion still shone in her flickering eyes. "Nii-sama…why?"

Byakuya didn't know quite know what to say, or how to say it.

Yet, before he quite figured out what he was doing, his hand had reached out and wiped away a streak of blood at the side of her mouth.

The crimson color seeped into the fabric of his glove, a glaring bright color attracting his attention, out of all the other dull-colored things in his life.

"Because…" he tried to say. "Because…"

_Because you're the only person that knew me like nobody else did._

_Because you took me for whom I was._

_Because…I just might have loved you._

The voices poured into his head, each battling the other for dominance.

But before Byakuya could say a word more, Rukia's eyes widened as she gave a sharp gasp. Her body jerked slightly, and her fingers curled tighter into small fists.

"I…I think I understand, nii-sama," were her last words, before her body trembled and then finally lay still, closing her eyes with a last smile.

"Because…you understood," Byakuya said, several painful moments after Rukia's body had gone limp.

He leaned down, his hair gently sweeping her bloodied shihakusho, and brushed his lips against her forehead, gently caressing closed eyes that he would never see again.

As Byakuya stood, his soiled captain's haori fluttering, he realized that as he had tended to Rukia, the clouds had split and disappeared, exposing the sun.

Byakuya's mind raced back to that memory, that memory so long ago, when Rukia had vowed to help Byakuya find the perfect blue sky.

_"Then…I suppose I'll have to help you," she said, as the sakura swirled around her dark blue kimono and the sun shone on her smiling face._

_So long ago..._

Feeling the sun kiss his face and the slight breeze rustle his hair, Byakuya felt the irony laughing in his face, degrading the Kuchiki.

It was so ironic—too ironic, that on the day of Rukia's death…

Byakuya had found the perfect blue sky.

-_fin_-

A/n: Yes, it was mainly long because I wanted to write from Byakuya's point of view and his past. And zomg, I just realized that ByakuRuki is kind of similar to Hatori x Tohru from Fruits Basket...well, in this chapter, at least. Reviews are appreciated, as always :)


	3. Repeats of Time

**Repeats of Time**

_Prompt 2 - Proposal_

Warning: Mostly ByakuHisana, since I was in the mood for writing some. ByakuRuki angst near the end, though. Written really quickly and self-betaed since my beta left me for Italy D: (she wishes.) And some Rukia bashing (it is angst, afer all).

* * *

He told Hisana he would protect her. He told Hisana that until the day he died, he would keep Hisana close in his arms and protect her from the evils of Seireitei.

He failed.

But looking into Hisana's eyes as they slowly dimmed as her life slipped through the fingers that Byakuya tightly clutched, he saw acceptance, and forgiveness.

"Please, Byakuya-sama," she struggled out, coughing slightly. "Please, protect Rukia like you protected me."

_But I didn't protect you! _Byakuya wanted to scream at her, but instead he merely inclined his head and tried not to meet her eyes.

Hisana tried to lift herself up, managing to support herself while her thin frame trembled from the effort.

She had grown so weak.

Her eyes peered up at him, analyzing him the way only Hisana could, and she smiled softly, collapsing back onto her pillow.

"I can see it in your eyes," she said. "You blame yourself because I'm dying…"

She closed her eyes at last, the weariness and fatigue gently erasing themselves from her face, her last words barely more than a whisper issuing from her lips.

"It's not your fault, Byakuya-sama."

* * *

It had been several decades since Hisana's death, and now, Byakuya sat toying with a ring _again_.

To be exact, an engagement ring.

It had been Hisana's. He remembered going to the best jeweler in Seireitei and picking not the largest ring, but a more modest, refined ring that exuded elegance and he knew would befit Hisana perfectly.

That first proposal, he had been nervous, worried, anxious – all normal emotions for a man about to ask his love to marry him.

It had been his heart's bidding, what Byakuya thought was his fate, to marry Hisana, the most beautiful woman that had trodden upon this Earth. He didn't care about what background she was, or where she came from.

All that he cared about was how beautiful she was, how perfect she was, and how she complemented him at every turn.

But now, he was proposing again…to Rukia.

He clenched the ring in his fist, his mind brewing in conflict. This feeling was familiar – being caught between his vow to Hisana to protect Rukia and what he really felt.

A proposal to Rukia to be his wife would allow Rukia to have full coverage of the protection granted to all Kuchikis. It would be exactly what Hisana wanted.

But he didn't love Rukia. He had only loved once. And he had lost it all.

* * *

"Rukia."

"Hai, nii-sama?"

"After much discussion, the Kuchiki elders and I have come to a joint decision that it would be best for the clan, and for your own safety, that we be married," Byakuya stated evenly, yet as casually as if he were discussing the weather that day.

Rukia gaped, gawped quite unbecomingly, and then proceeded to squawk utter nonsense.

_So unlike Hisana_, Byakuya noted coldly.

At last, Rukia appeared to gain some control over herself, respectfully bowing even though her face was still flushed and her eyes slightly large. "Whatever nii-sama and the elders think is best," she murmured, before attempting to flee the room.

"Attempting to flee the room" is used here, because Rukia would have succeeded had Byakuya not crossed the room in four quick strides and lightly grasped her arm.

"You forgot something." He produced the ring from inside his shihakusho, the gold still warm from how tightly Byakuya had been clutching it.

He slid it on Rukia and noticed that Rukia's fingers were just somewhat larger than Hisana's, and the ring looked awkward and ungainly.

Rukia gasped, marveling at the ring on her hand.

"Nii-sama…I—"

But by the time she looked up again, Byakuya was gone.

* * *

Byakuya endured the several months' of preparations and rehearsals for the largest wedding of them all – a Kuchiki wedding, of course.

But after all the invitations had been issued, and after the last dress rehearsal, Byakuya collapsed against the wall and wondered when was the last time life had been simple.

He refused to answer the question, but his mind still screamed out the answer: when he had been with Hisana.

* * *

The day of the wedding was absolutely perfect. It was sunny and clear and Byakuya just thought that it was too _artificial_. He kept traveling back to his wedding with Hisana, how it had been pouring that day, yet Hisana still smiled radiantly and at the end, she ran through the rain in her wedding kimono with Byakuya, earning several scandalized looks from the Kuchiki elders.

Byakuya stood at the altar, trying to look anywhere but at the too-happy eyes of Renji, his best man, the worried eyes of Yoruichi, who knew something was wrong but Byakuya adamantly refused to tell her, the suspicious eyes of that orange-haired ryoka, Ichigo, or even the gently smiling eyes of Unohana-taichou.

He felt constricted, like he couldn't breathe.

The doors suddenly flung open, flooding the chapel with sunlight, and at the entrance stood Rukia, seemingly taller and glowing in a white silk kimono patterned with silver cranes.

Hisana had looked prettier at their wedding, resplendent in a plain white kimono with branches of sakura embroidered on it.

"_As a tribute to Senbonzakura,"_ Hisana had told him, after the wedding.

Every step Rukia took down the aisle neared him, and the more…claustrophobic Byakuya felt, in lieu of a better word. It seemed like everything, everyone was pressing in on him, all teetering and about to fall.

_What is it, Senbonzakura?_ He screamed.

His zanpakuto remained cold and silent.

At last, when Rukia stood next to him and they both faced the minister, Byakuya could feel the warmth of Rukia at his side, and finally, then tension that had been accumulating inside of him snapped.

He closed his eyes, accepting what his decision was. "I'm sorry Rukia…

But I can't."

A collective gasp sounded from the crowd, and from the corner of his eye, Byakuya saw Renji looking horrified.

But nothing else compared to the look of betrayal and hurt etched on Rukia's face as Byakuya turned, and left the wedding chapel.

_I couldn't protect you this time, Rukia._

-_fin_-

A/N: I hope everybody liked this chapter. Flames will absolutely not be tolerated, and will instead be used to make chocolate fondue (mmm.)


	4. You Would Never Betray Me

**You Would Never Betray Me**

_Prompt 13 - A Knife to the Heart_

I tried to add a twist at the end, but uh, I think I screwed up. Majorly.

Dedicated to **Semper Fidelis OTP**, who wanted me to write something from 30tears with the prompt "a knife to the heart". Thanks for all the lovely reviews and I hope that this does sufficiently to the perhaps grand prompt you imagined XD Tell me if you really don't like it and I'll try to write something better.

And it is a bit long. Hee. Enjoy, though.

* * *

The first thing Rukia noticed as she stepped into the clearing was that the clouds teemed in the sky, converging all into a shapeless grey mass that had an aura around it, and made her bite her lip in a grimace.

This very field looked like a prime breeding site for Menos Grandes.

From the fog and mist in the heavy, humid air, Rukia guessed two things – that the Menos Grandes had been here quite recently, and that there was a 97 chance that it was going to rain.

Rukia _hated_ rain. It interfered with her reiatsu, making it crackle weirdly and do things with Sode no Shirayuki that she didn't want done. Sadly, she wasn't as apt with the zanpakuto yet, like Hitsugaya-taichou and his Hyourinmaru, to actually change the weather.

"Looks like rain," a voice grumpily observed from behind her.

She turned and at first, she didn't see anything but a shock of unruly white hair before she looked down and saw grouchy turquoise eyes.

"Aa, Hitsugaya-taichou." She worriedly looked out at the sky again, the best she could, through the silvery mist and the fog that seemed to cling to her face. "Demo…won't the rain interfere with Hyourinamru's bankai…?"

Hitsugaya-taichou opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, another voice smoothly cut in.

"Don't even think about lowering the temperature and turning the rain into snow or ice. Rain, we can deal with. But once it starts to snow you know very well that the snow screws up my bankai and it _stays_ screwed up for weeks."

Hitsugaya-taichou immediately scowled at the newcomer, Rukia's nii-sama, Kuchiki-taichou himself.

"That last time with Senbonzakura and Hyourinmaru was an _accident_," Hitsugaya-taichou said rather petulantly. "I'm sure there'll be no harm in just a few snowflakes—"

"A few snowflakes, as you put it, interferes with my reiatsu concentration and freezes my sakura petals to nearly the point of immobility," Byakuya retorted, his voice dropping another dangerous notch.

"But Hyourinmaru's bankai is weaker at higher temperatures…"

"My bankai is obviously stronger and more effective against Hollows and Menos Grandes – when and if they come."

Rukia decided to leave the two captains at it, hearing Hitsugaya-taichou grumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "don't humor yourself" under his breath. Instead, she busied herself with focusing her reiatsu, falling inside her mind and channeling all of her energy to Sode no Shirayuki, who hummed with anticipation.

Hitsugaya-taichou's voice, sullen and reluctant, broke into her thoughts, saying, "Fine, I won't drop the damn temperature."

Rukia could almost see the smug smile that tickled the corners of Byakuya's mouth (because Byakuya being _Byakuya_, he couldn't just smile outright like normal people) before lightly saying, "Watch your mouth, Hitsugaya."

Hitsugaya-taichou "tch"-ed and Rukia heard him storm off before the familiar pattern of Byakuya's footsteps penetrated her focus.

She snapped open her eyes, meeting his eyes at about the same moment as when he leaned down in front of her.

"Do you know the formation for the attack?" he asked, eyes betraying nothing.

She nodded mutely, finding nothing else of important or interest to say. It was a stupid question, really, because _of course_ she knew the formation for the attack – it had been practically ingrained into her head forever after Byakuya's nonstop drilling.

Changing her mind, however, she lifted her head a bit higher and firmly stared into her nii-sama's eyes.

"We're…are we going to be okay?" she asked, cursing her voice for wobbling slightly and the pleading look she knew was wavering in her eyes.

"Of course we're going to be okay," Byakuya replied in the flat tone he always used, his face set, and his mouth a grim, determined line. But then he turned his head and his eyes softened, ever so slightly.

"Yamamoto-genryuusai trusts us. We're going to be okay."

With that, he got up and left, leaving Rukia behind in a whirlwind of confusion, until eventually, the fog swallowed him up and he was gone.

Standing up on shaky legs, Rukia thought about how odd it had been to receive a butterfly from Yamamoto-genryuusai himself, telling her that she was to report to nii-sama and accompany him on a Hollow-hunting mission, along with Hitsugaya-taichou.

Rukia hadn't dared ask Byakuya the specifics of the operation, and Hitsugaya-taichou had been in one of those talk-to-me-and-Hyourinmaru-bites-your-head-off-in-two-seconds-flat moods ever since his small, sullen shadow had sulked next to Byakuya as they practiced their bankais and attacks and Rukia quietly trained alongside two of the greatest taichous in the Gotei 13.

She didn't understand why two _taichous_, and then her, would need to go on a Hollow-hunting mission. Usually, those missions were assigned to the greenest of rookies that entered the Gotei 13 with the occasional higher-ranked supervisor to make sure that not too many rookie shinigami were killed by Hollows. Taichous never, ever went on Hollow-hunting missions, and only rarely ever did fukutaichous go.

Usually, the Menos-Grandes hunting missions were reserved for taichous, since those were trickier to kill and usually required a strong bankai.

Shaking her head to clear the questions that had been whirling around in it, Rukia resolutely pushed through the fog to where she thought she had heard Hitsugaya-taichou's voice.

* * *

It was about five minutes to the predicted time when the Hollows were supposed to appear.

Hitsugaya-taichou had taken up his position in the middle of the field, his keen eyes scanning the sky above them the best he could for any sign of movement, of never-ending inky darkness that signified the bleakness of Hueco Mundo. He clutched Hyourinmaru in his hand; the zanpakuto faintly _glowing_, almost, the last time Rukia had seen it.

Rukia, on the other hand, was tucked away into a small clearing in the woods not too far from the field, and Byakuya had insisted on waiting with her, much to Rukia's behest. She argued that she was a big girl now, dammit, and that he didn't need to physically watch her every move and make sure she didn't get carried off by some big scary Hollow.

Byakuya had simply shrugged, planted his feet on the ground, and refused to budge.

Rukia harrumphed, and promptly turned her nose up and looked the other way, silently grumbling that it was about time for Byakuya to wipe that smug smirk off of his face.

It was _hard_, though, to ignore Kuchiki Byakuya. He stood very close to Rukia, so close that their hands occasionally brushed against each other and Rukia swore that she could hear the sound of his breathing through the wind that rushed at them and the mist that wrapped around their faces. From what she could see, his face was set in its usual stoic lines, and his eyes were cool and calculating.

She longed to know what was going on behind those cryptic eyes, behind the impassive stone face that Rukia _knew_ was just a façade.

Why wouldn't he tell her anything?

Cool fingers suddenly settled on her chin, and startled out of her thoughts, Rukia whipped her head around to meet the molten eyes of one Kuchiki-taichou.

She stifled the urge to scream, her eyes widening as her heart pounded erratically in her chest. They were so close, just barely centimeters apart, and she could feel his breath against the skin on her face.

His other hand tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear, the movements painstakingly delicate, and perhaps even rehearsed. His next words were murmured so low that Rukia strained over the wind to make them out.

"I'm sorry…you'll see soon. I hope you understand."

Rukia's mind screamed in frustration, wanting to know more, wanting to know _why_, but her throat constricted up and her eyes continued staring up at him unwaveringly.

All too suddenly, he jerked her forward, and she was falling, before she landed gently inside the warm protective casing of his arms, which enclosed her, effectively trapping her.

She squirmed a little in his embrace, blushing slightly as she felt the friction of his skin against hers underneath the layers of shihakusho they were bundled up in to combat the bitter January cold. His lips ghosted over hers, and his hands supported her head, his deliciously long and elegant fingers running through her hair.

"What—" Rukia tried, but Byakuya cut her off.

"Shh," he practically purred, hot breath forming puffs of air that clouded Rukia's vision, and she remembered thinking dizzily how the _hell_ Byakuya was so warm in ass-freezing cold weather.

Her hands scrabbled uselessly against his chest, trying to push him away so that she could leave, because at least some part of her mind was thinking rationally. He tugged her closer, and then, he was kissing her.

It took Rukia's shell-shocked mind a while to process that Kuchiki-taichou was actually, really, truly kissing her – Byakuya…her nii-sama, the great head of the Kuchiki family that Rukia never dreamed would lower himself to _her_ level.

But it felt so ashamedly good, his slightly chapped lips sliding over hers, the overall warmth of him, and the inaudible murmurs that vibrated in his throat.

To Rukia's relative horror, she found herself kissing him back, finally giving in to temptation and hooking her arms behind his neck from instinct and unconsciously caressing the smooth hair at the nape of his neck

Rukia finally came to the conclusion that this had to be surreal, and it was nothing but a dream. The fog must have addled her brain.

But when they broke apart when air became somewhat of a necessity, he stared at her with eyes that were indescribably dark and passionate, and Rukia knew that this couldn't possibly even be close to a dream.

"Why—" Rukia's voice cracked slightly and she gripped his hand in hers. "Why, nii-sama—"

A shout sounded from somewhere to the east, and a dragon that was most definitely Hyourinmaru roared in battle.

The Hollows had arrived.

"I hope you understand," Byakuya repeated, his forehead brushing against hers, his eyes serious and—was that a hint of sadness?—before he was gone in a flash into the gathering mist and fog.

_Understand what?_

* * *

Fighting was indeed an art. Whenever her sensei at the Academy had said that in his self-important air, Rukia scoffed and refused to believe that bloodshed and death could be an art.

But whenever Rukia gripped Sode no Shirayuki and the command "dance" flowed from her lips, she felt power and energy surge through her, turning her limbs into graceful streamers that controlled her sinuous, yet deadly, zanpakuto.

Rukia had always thought that the best embodiment of grace, beauty, yet also death, was Byakuya's Senbonzakura. Many a time had she stared with awe from her window into the garden below as Byakuya uttered "chire" and wondrous sakura blossoms formed an elegant, yet fatal to anyone who dared venture too close, cloud around Byakuya that he moved with the grace of a cat slinking through a forest to leap upon its prey.

Battling her way through the clinging fog, Rukia unleashed Sode no Shirayuki's shikai, and burst into the clearing where Hitsugaya-taichou had already confronted one Hollow and was fending off another that had snuck up behind him.

Her eyes hardened, and she rushed at the Hollow, satisfied at hearing its scream of pain as Sode no Shirayuki slashed it's side.

The fight was on.

* * *

Rukia was feeling very good, and even though she had acquired a few scrapes and cuts from some of her harder adversaries, she felt that the mission would be a success, and that she could go home (if the Kuchiki manor could be called home) and everything would be back to normal again.

Between her and Hitsugaya-taichou, many Hollows had disappeared, wailing, swallowed up and gone. Rukia had just begun to wonder where Byakuya had gone off to when claws gripped her, crushing the air out of her body. Miraculously, even as air whipped by her face and Rukia faintly registered that she was being lifted high off of the ground, her hand clutched Sode no Shirayuki so hard that the design on the hilt was pressed into the skin of her palm.

She shrieked, naturally, as she scrabbled and slashed wildly with Sode no Shirayuki to no avail. She was trapped in unnaturally long, white claws that looked reminiscent of…

_Menos Grandes._

Rukia squirmed around in the vice-like grip so that she stared, horrified, into the unearthly mask of a Menos Grandes as it screeched shrilly and flew out across the sky.

She tried to shout a warning or make some kind of gesture to Hitsugaya-taichou, who had his back turned to the impending threat and was just finishing doing battle with the last of the Hollows.

A Menos Grande cackled, and flew at the unsuspecting back of Hitsugaya-taichou, withdrawing from seemingly nothing but air and fog a long, lethal zanpakuto.

Even though her throat was dry and seemed to stick together in all the wrong places, Rukia wrenched open her mouth, and forcing air into her lungs, screamed, "HITSUGAYA-TAICHOU!!!"

She blurrily made out the white haori-clad form of Hitsugaya taichou whirl around just as the Hollow splintered and disappeared, Hyourinmaru still hanging limply at his side. Focusing just slightly, she saw his bright turquoise eyes widen in surprise and although his reflexes were supreme, not even Hyourinmaru could react fast enough to encounter the blow the Menos Grande delivered, cackling madly as blood spewed into the air, and Rukia felt sick and helpless, hanging in the claws of the Menos Grande high up in the sky.

She saw Hitsugaya-taichou fall, and she swore she heard Hyourinmaru keen as the ice stars burst and disappeared and Hyourinmaru itself limply fell from Hitsugaya-taichou's hand onto the cold ground. Blood seeped from the small taichou's body, and Rukia bit her lip with saddened eyes, silently willing Hitsugaya-taichou to _live_.

Where was Byakuya???

A sudden flash of pink, an all-too-familiar glowing pink, caught Rukia's eye, and she twisted her head around, ignoring the cry of pain the muscles in her neck gave.

Byakuya stood on top of a nearby hill, his bankai swirling around him, his eyes cool and determined, even in this dire situation.

He raised a hand, and Rukia awaited in eager anticipation, for the slightest flick of his fingers would send the deadly sakura rushing at the Menos Grandes, and she would be freed and—

Her eyes widened, when instead of sending the sakura towards the Menos Grandes, he flicked his hand and banished the sakura, tucking Senbonzakura back into its sheath.

"N-Nii-sama?" Rukia asked softly, her voice tremulous and shocked.

Byakuya walked over to the Menos Grandes, stepping over the prone body of Hitsugaya-taichou, and nodded to the Menos Grande holding Rukia.

The Menos Grande grunted, and swooped lower to the ground to hold Rukia just slightly above the Earth so that she was at least of some eye level to Byakuya.

"What are you doing?" Rukia spat, forgetting all about her initial shock and instead, becoming infuriated. "Why are you on such friendly terms with these Menos Grandes? You—"

"Shh," Byakuya murmured, too pleasantly for Rukia's likes. His eyes were glittering in a cold, malicious way that was so unusual to Rukia and eerily reminded her of Aizen's eyes when he had disappeared into Hueco Mundo.

Rukia hissed indignantly as his too-cold fingers traced the curve of her jaw, fluttered over her eyelashes, and stroked her cheek. "Stop it," she demanded, trying to sound strong, but instead, coming off as feeble.

He remained impassive, regarding her for a moment or two, before stepping back and nodding again to the Menos Grande. "Take her."

Rukia screamed as once again, she was taken into flight, and Byakuya grew smaller and smaller and his features grew blurrier.

She realized, as she hung from the grip of the Menos Grande, that she had been horribly and terribly used, and betrayed by the man she thought she had trusted the most – her nii-sama, the one that had rescued her from the forlorn streets of Rukongai, where she had thought she had been destined to live until she died, and then he had taken the blow from Ichimaru Gin's Shinsou, that had been meant to end _her_ life.

It felt like a stabbing, piercing, knife to the heart, jamming its sharp edge and making the blood spill out all over.

Sharp, hot tears pricked at Rukia's eyes, and she worked up the strength to yell back to the fading form that was Byakuya. "Why are you doing this? What – what did I _ever_ do to you?"

Even though Rukia's eyes were becoming watery and blurred, Byakuya's cold voice cleanly sliced through the air and it was a shock to hear the blatant difference his voice now held from the voice Rukia had become accustomed to – the voice that defined who Byakuya was. This voice couldn't possibly be the real Byakuya speaking – he would never do this to her.

"You were nothing but an annoyance, Rukia."

Rukia was vaguely aware that she had stopped flying through the air and that the world seemed to pause around them; the mist that had swirled endlessly around them separated, and the fog cleared ever so slightly.

The image of Byakuya standing on the ground below grew sharper and it was to this that Rukia directed her next words, words that rang with sadness and betrayal.

"I – I – you could have told me! I – Nobody deserves to be taken, killed, and betrayed in this manner!"

In the blink of an eye, Byakuya loomed over her, maintaining perfect balance on the air in the sky.

"I thought," he said, "That when I adopted you, you would be a distraction from the grief I still had about Hisana's death. Instead, you proved to be nothing but a worthless, useless image of her that compared nothing to what she was – a _proper_ Kuchiki lady. I tried to teach you Kuchiki etiquette, in hopes that one day you would understand and learn your place in society, but you were stubborn and headstrong and refused to listen. Thus, I had no other choice but to send you off to be a shinigami – I wanted you to grow up and have a strong reputation as one of the best shinigami in Seireitei. You did not, instead, your zanpakuto has a flimsy shikai, your kidou skills are only marginal, and you are too careless in your battling. You have done immeasurable shame to the Kuchiki family, and this, Rukia, cannot be tolerated."

Tears flowed freely down Rukia's face now as she spat at him, "I tried as hard as I could! But look at you! You're nothing better than Aizen! I – I don't understand!"

"You don't deserve to live in Seireitei and bear the Kuchiki name," was all Byakuya said, his eyes hard and steady.

The darkness of Hueco Mundo snapped open in front of Rukia's eyes, the sky breaking and tearing apart.

Her eyes desperate and pleading, Rukia attempted to make one last stab at Byakuya, his still form straddling the air, his captain's haori blowing ominously in the breeze.

"What about Hitsugaya-taichou? What did _he_ ever do?"

Byakuya tilted his head and regarded her for several seconds before answering, as if he got some sadistic pleasure from watching her struggle futilely against the steel grip of the Menos Grande and her hair and eyes wild.

"He was nothing but an arrogant little brat that was too powerful for his own good." He shrugged lightly, and Rukia was chillingly reminded of the mocking smile Gin used to sport, back when he had been around.

"So it's all about power now? I thought you were better above the type of things Aizen did!"

"Power is good," Byakuya replied, rather cryptically, but before Rukia could question him, he snapped his fingers to the Menos Grande and vanished into the fog.

The Menos Grande holding her cackled shrilly and dragged her into the cold, evil clutches of Hueco Mundo. Rukia could feel the evilness and doom emanating from the black hole in the sky.

She screamed as suddenly the feeling in her body swept out of her, and her fingers grew numb. Sode no Shirayuki slipped and fell towards the ground and with her last bit of strength, Rukia scrabbled after her zanpakuto and miserably failed.

Her throat constricted and she lost the ability to speak, and her scream died on her lips as she was swallowed up into the cavern of Hueco Mundo and the sky snapped closed behind her.

* * *

Sode no Shirayuki plummeted toward the ground, jamming hilt-up into the ground. That was the only sound for a long time, until a figure walked out of the mist, inspecting the lone zanpakuto in the middle of the field.

Kuchiki Byakuya surveyed the churned ground, Sode no Shirayuki standing straight up like a beacon, and the limp, bloodstained body of Hitsugaya-taichou nearby. He appraised it, and seemed, in a twisted way, satisfied by his work.

Betrayal was a funny little thing, in his mind.

He knew that the next day, a group of shinigami would find the dead little taichou and the zanpakuto of Kuchiki Rukia. They would spend months, years even, searching for the missing shinigami, but of course, she would never be found again.

"I hope you understand, Rukia," Byakuya said to no one in particular, and smiling cruelly, he turned on his heel and disappeared; this time, for good.

-_fin_-

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* * *

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**A/N:** Ohnoez! Byakuya is evil. I hated writing evil!Byakuya because in my mind he IS NOT evil. But I tried, and anyways, it _is_ angst. But I hope the masses enjoyed it (you probably didn't because Byakuya left Rukia to die with the Menos Grandes XD)! 

**Review review review**!!! I have the next two chapters planned out and I shall threaten you with no updates if there aren't any reviews. (acutally, I kid. But reviews are still greatly appreciated!)


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